PERSONAL STUDENT FEATURE

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The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

[By Kenneth Davis] The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (also known as the University of Memphis School of Law) has been shaping top legal minds for more than 40 years and boasts more than 4,500 graduates since its founding. The law school was formed as a college within Memphis State University in 1962 in response to a widespread interest in developing a full-time legal education program to serve Memphis and the mid-South. The school was created to replace two local private law schools, the University of Memphis Law School and the Southern Law School, which offered parttime education. It is currently the only law school in Memphis and was named in honor of former Universitys president Cecil C. Humphreys, a distinguished educator. The law school has approximately 460 students and 23 full-time faculty members.
The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law has been recognized frequently for its contributions to its community and to legal education. Through its legal clinic, the school provides legal services to juveniles, abused women, the elderly, and others who might otherwise be unable to afford legal advice or representation. The schools graduates include federal and state judges, trial attorneys and corporate lawyers, advocates for the poor, and environmental attorneys. In 965, the law school was accredited by the American Bar Association and has maintained its accreditation. The school changed its name to the University of Memphis pursuant to state legislation in 994. The law schools faculty have distinguished themselves by their commitment to teaching, legal research, and scholarship. Thirteen faculty members have earned graduate law degrees (LL.M.), and five faculty members have served as graduate law clerks for federal appellate and trial judges. In addition, several faculty members have been elected to the American Law Institute, and others serve as consultants to judicial commissions and are active participants in state and national bar associations. The law school offers a rigorous curriculum that provides students with a solid foundation in diverse areas of law and an ample
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opportunity to gain practical experience and to specialize in areas of interest. The required first-year curriculum introduces students to the building blocks of American law: civil procedure, contracts, criminal law, property, and torts. The Legal Method program teaches the basics of legal analysis, research, and writing. The required second-year courses expose students to other fundamental areas of law and to diverse aspects to legal analysis. Second-year students take the following courses: Business Organizations, Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Decedents Estates, Evidence, Income Taxation, and Secured Transactions. These courses introduce students to many of the subjects tested on the bar examination and ensure that students who choose to specialize in an area of law are aware of the diversity of legal practice. Students must also complete the course in Professional Responsibility and satisfy the advanced writing requirement. Beginning in the second year, students can utilize the law schools wide range of elective offerings. These courses permit specialization in specific areas of law, such as taxation or labor and employment law, or enable students to gain exposure to diverse aspects of legal practice. Students may also take advantage of the law schools extensive Clinical Program and various externship offerings.

Many of the students participate on moot court or mock trial teams. The schools moot court team recently finished second in the national moot court finals held at the New York City Bar Association headquarters. The competition, which was sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers and the New York City Bar Association, pitted 86 teams from 29 schools divided into 4 regions. The moot court team consisted of law students Todd Richardson, Shannon McKenna, and Mark Thompson. Law professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Barbara Kritchevsky coached the team. Also, a number of students are involved with the schools two law journals, the University

of Memphis Law Review and the Tennessee Journal of Practice and Procedure.
In addition to the law journals and the moot court and mock trial teams, the following are other organizations in which students can participate: Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Association for Women Attorneys, Black Law Students Association, Christian Legal Society, Environmental Law Council; Federalist Society, International Law Society, Law and Technology Society, Jewish Law Student Association, Memphis Tax Law Council, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, The Sports and Entertainment Law Society, and the Student Bar Association. The schools dean, James R. Smoot, earned his law degree from Yale Law School in

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PERSONAL STUDENT FEATURE

1.800.973. 1177

974. He was Executive Editor of the Yale

Law Journal from 973 to 974. Additionally, Smoot served as Deputy General Counsel for the The Readers Digest Association, Inc., in New York from 980 to 989. He joined the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 990 as an Assistant Professor of Law and was named dean last year. Smoots teaching interests include Banking Law, Business Organizations, Contracts, Corporate Finance, International Finance, and Securities Regulation.

ON THE NET The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law www.law.memphis.edu American College of Trial Lawyers www.actl.com American Bar Association www.abanet.org

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